That day will remain engraved in the memory of not only Qataris but all Arabs. It was an unforgettable day when a leader at the peak of his achievements passed on leadership to a young leader who had trained in governance and management for a decade.
On that day, the Emir
H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani took the reins from his father, the Father Emir
H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. This had never been witnessed in the troubled Arab world before. After 18 years of great effort, Qatar had turned into an advanced and institutionalised state enjoying modern facilities, and it had gained significant political presence at various levels and in all domains.
The step taken by the Father Emir was aimed at continuing the political and developmental journey with a new vision to build the institutions of the nation. This can be achieved with a national vision based on the great past, outstanding present and promising future, with full help of the citizens, who are the real wealth of this country.
It wasn’t an ordinary event in the turbulent Arab world, which is mostly ruled by tyranny and oppression, with rulers even sitting on their people’s ‘skulls’ to remain in power. The policy of most Arab regimes is to remain in power, “either to rule you or kill you”.
In this context, the Father Emir, by an honourable gesture, transferred the leadership of this country to the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to show the way with an approach that suits future generations. This happened after the latter had acquired enough experience in governance, leadership and management. This made him qualified to continue achieving success both at home and abroad, and on more than one level; and this has been manifested on several occasions.
Building state institutions
From the moment he took charge, the Emir has emphasised that “changing the head of state does not mean that Qatar’s challenges and tasks have changed”. Therefore, we continue building state institutions and restructuring ministries — a process that began in the reign of the Father Emir.
Qatar is unique in carrying out institutional restructuring in the Arab world, which is often known for chaos in its institutions and administrations, which makes governance inefficient and, in some cases, almost non-existent. This is something Qatar was able to avoid by making government institutions operate systematically.
The Emir has completed 500 days in office. During this period, the son has followed in the footsteps of his father while expanding the horizons to renew the will of the state and its institutions in pursuit of more modernisation in various sectors.
This will allow it to move towards a new phase through development and benefit from international experience while reinforcing the positives and avoiding negativity, all in accordance with a national vision and strategy to improve the various sectors of society and the state.
Qatar today stands on solid ground in terms of history and civilization. “We begin with our principles, interests, dignity, welfare and the solemnity of our nation”, the Emir has said in every speech.
The reign of the Emir has witnessed many achievements at home and abroad. In the economy, the sources of income have been diversified. Growth reached 6.3 percent in 2014, which is high when compared to the global level. It is expected to rise next year, according to the IMF.
Meanwhile, many infrastructure projects have been completed. Other projects will soon begin, all according to plan. Qatar is carrying out major tasks that are expected to be completed with the approach of 2020. The majority of projects will be completed before then. This does not mean that development will stop there; there is a 2030 vision for Qatar that foresees a promising future for this country.
The individual is the source of development
The concept of development cannot be limited to building and construction; it includes human development, which is the primary focus of Qatar’s vision. The major concern is to take care of human resources — the foundation of national growth. This was confirmed by the Emir in his first speech before the Shura Council in 2013, when he said that the country’s development goals, including Qatar Vision 2030, could be summed up as: building the homeland and citizens.
This concern is reflected in the improving living standards of the people. The income of the Qatari national today is the highest in the world, exceeding $100,000 a year. This is the fruit of the care of our national leadership and investment to provide a decent life to citizens.
The government gave special attention to the education and health sectors since they provide indicators of social development. Budgetary allocations for these sectors have increased significantly, with the education sector getting QR26. 3bn for the fiscal year 2014-15, an increase of 7.3 percent over the previous year. The health budget amounted to QR15.7bn, 12.5 percent more than the previous year. These allocations reflect the importance of these sectors to the development of society. Qatar tops the Arab countries and has achieved high rankings in the Middle East in surveys related to these sectors.
Politically, our Emir has followed a steady path, using the principles and values that govern Qatari policy in dealing with regional and international issues, which reaffirms that these are institutionalised efforts and not the result of personal inclinations. Perhaps the alignment of Qatar’s policy with people’s choices in the Arab Spring is a good example of promoting justice, freedom and human dignity.
At the same time, the Emir confirmed during his interview with CNN last September that Qatar will continue its efforts at mediation and reconciliation, a task best suited to Qatar. Our national leadership has been able to achieve some major breakthroughs in the humanitarian area, where we look at humans without prejudice and try to save their lives, wealth and honour regardless of where they are.
Qataris could not have succeeded in mediation if they had not gained international credibility, won the confidence of all parties by treating them equally, and expressed their opinions on various issues with transparency. Qatar gained an honourable status in the region because of this. Many states that have festering disputes or whose citizens are detained abroad ask for Qatar’s help to find a solution.
Humanitarian mediation led by Qatar has brought many to safe shores, the most notable case being the release of an American soldier detained by the Taliban in exchange for five Taliban prisoners held in America. This made the US president pay tribute more than once to the Emir for his role in the success of the negotiations and the safe return of the American soldier.
Other successful Qatari humanitarian initiatives resulted in the release of Lebanese hostages in Izaz, the nuns of Maaloula, Turkish pilots in Lebanon, a number of Iranian nationals in Syria and Fijian United Nations soldiers in the Golan Heights.
Politically, Qatar continued its efforts to bring peace and security and defuse crises involving different parties. Qatari mediation in Darfur is the best example.
Regarding Qatar’s position on Palestine, which is the central issue for Arabs and tops all other issues for Qatar, it maintained its lead role in dealing with the aggression against Gaza this year. Our Emir also led many efforts regionally and internationally from the start of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians. The best way to reduce the suffering of people in Gaza, who are under siege for more than eight years, is to stand by their side and repel Israeli aggression.
Last September, at the United Nations, the Emir condemned the Israeli aggression against Gaza and saluted the resistance of the people of Gaza, calling for an end to Israeli occupation, which represents one of the last cases of occupation in modern history.
In Gaza, actions preceded Qatar’s words, since over the past few years Qatar has donated more than $500m to rebuild what was destroyed by prior Israeli attacks. In the reconstruction conference held in Cairo this year, Qatar announced a donation of $1bn, while the largest donation from other countries did not exceed $200m.
This was in addition to funding purchase of gas for Gaza’s power station more than once and paying salaries of Gaza’s workers on several occasions.
Qatar does all this with the belief that it is its duty towards its brothers, without asking for recompense or thanks.
“Qatar will remain the Kaaba of the oppressed” — these words, uttered by the country’s founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, and echoed by the Father Emir, will remain true. This was reiterated by the Emir in his address to the people of Qatar on the occasion of his accession to power, to confirm that the state will not retreat from the path it has trod generation after generation. This is what makes us reach out to every wronged and oppressed person, to offer them a safe haven in this country.
Major achievements
Qatar, led by the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, continues to achieve more in the political, economic, health, educational and social sectors. Even in sports, Qatar continues its achievements, perhaps the most recent of which is the Gulf Cup, “Gulf 22”, that was held in Riyadh. Before that, Qatar won the Asian Cup to qualify for the World Cup, which will be held next year in New Zealand. In addition to winning the right to host the IAAF World Championships in 2019, Qatar topped the Arab world in the Asian Games in South Korea and won the gold medal for Asian Beach Handball.
Internationally, Qatar has achieved top positions in several fields, ahead of all other Arab countries. It has also retained its prominent position in vital areas such as human rights, governance and leadership, and security and peace. Qatar also came first among the least corrupt countries with regard to transfer of public funds to companies or individuals.
Qatar is also first in the quality of its education system, independence of the judiciary, the quality of power supply, the quality of scientific research, provision of research services and specialised training, availability of scientists and engineers, the quality of overall infrastructure and transparency of the government’s economic policies. Qatar has the fewest cases of irregular payments or bribes, but ranks at the top in protection of intellectual property and measures to combat counterfeiting.
Future in the making
All these achievements by Qatar speak of thoughtful planning for the future according to a clear strategy, and efforts to move steadily toward its goals.
After the reign of the Father Emir, development in Qatar became stable and reached all sectors. Nations and communities that advance are the ones that experience a renaissance and development in all fields. They cannot have development in one sector without the other being involved, so we find that Qatar’s policies are consistent and it is ready to make a quantum leap in all sectors.
This growth is aimed at developing humans. All state agencies and resources exist for the benefit of the community.
Qatar today is shaping its future under a young leader who has dynamic energy and creative ideas to further its national interest. The welfare of its people has always been the goal of the leadership of this nation.
